Arkansas tornado: storm chaser's first hand view of deadly twister

Storm chaser in Arkansas captures footage of a huge tornado which barrelled
through central Arkansas leaving a 30 mile path of destruction

7:40AM BST 28 Apr 2014

Tornadoes ripped through the south-central United States on Sunday, killing at least 12 people in Arkansas and Oklahoma and wiping out entire neighbourhoods of homes, according to officials, as rescue workers searched in darkness for survivors.

Two people were killed in Vilonia, a small town in Faulkner county in central Arkansas of some 3,800 people, and rescuers were digging through the rubble of ruined buildings looking for more victims, according to authorities there.

Searchers were continuing to dig through rubble in Vilonia and a spokesman for the County Sheriff's office said there was a "mass casualty situation".

"An entire neighborhood of 50 or so homes has been destroyed. Many homes are completely gone except the foundation ... There is more devastation like this in other parts of Arkansas," Representative Tim Griffin told Reuters.

Cable television's Weather Channel showed videotape of mangled, overturned cars, some with people still inside, lining miles of Interstate 40 near Mayflower, 22 miles (35 km) northwest of state capital Little Rock.

A tornado hit the east side of Mayflower at around 7.30 pm, killing at least one person, tearing up trees and bringing down power lines, making it difficult for the emergency services to find stricken areas in the dark, officials there said.

"It's extremely hazardous here right now," said Will Elder, an alderman in the city. "The power lines are down, roads are blocked and they will have to proceed with caution."

The Arkansas National Guard was deployed to help out in the state.

An aide to Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said five people had died in both Faulkner and Pulaski counties, with another fatality reported in White Count

Video footage captured by a stormchaser driving close to the city showed the approaching tornado. Within minutes the sky becomes black and the sound of hailstones hitting his car can be heard.

About 45 homes were destroyed in Mayflower said Will Elder, an alderman in the city of 2,300 people. He said at least one person was injured.